With fastball heating up, Wolters drawing professional interest

Mar. 5—MAHOMET — Blake Wolters' competitive baseball career is drawing an increasing number of eyes during the back half of his time at Mahomet-Seymour High School.

Eyes from high school opponents, who clearly need as much time as possible to see the right-handed pitcher given his 10-0 record and 0.24 earned run average accumulated pitching for the Bulldogs last season.

Eyes from college coaches, which led to him reversing a verbal commitment to Purdue baseball last spring in order to give a pledge to Arizona's program.

And, most recently, eyes from Major League Baseball representatives.

Those aren't just cursory glances from professional scouts, either.

An entirely realistic chance exists of Wolters possibly hearing his name called in the 2023 MLB draft.

That's what happens when you toss multiple pitches 97 miles per hour, as Wolters did in early February at a Prep Baseball Report Illinois Super 60 session near Chicago.

"I had thrown like 95.5. That was my fastest," said Wolters, a senior at M-S and the reigning News-Gazette All-Area baseball Player of the Year. "It's taken a lot of hard work and dedication. ... We had my throwing program set up so that I would be able to go for this event, and I felt great and it was awesome."

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Wolters speaks of his latest pitching accomplishment in a matter-of-fact tone.

Not in a cocky sense, either.

More so as if he anticipated this might be an outcome given the effort he's invested in his craft away from the public spotlight.

"His dad and I are pretty close. ... As (Wolters) was throwing, Doug sent me a text that had a fire emoji and '97.7.' It was pretty awesome," said Nic DiFilippo, the M-S baseball coach. "Some people were just reaching out saying 'This is amazing' to 'PBR tweeted something.' It kind of went viral."

Within 48 hours of Wolters' throwing session, DiFilippo said he'd heard from representatives of four MLB organizations who were inquiring into Wolters' future baseball plans.

Wolters doesn't want to get into specifics about who he's spoken with, though he added that some of this communication happened even before he threw 97 mph.

"It's really cool. You can't get too ahead of yourself, but it's every kid's dream to play in MLB," Wolters said. "That would still be a long way in the future, but it's cool to think about."

Looking to the horizon

Even as he attempts to maintain a measured approach to the topic, Wolters does have to consider a huge question given how interest has ramped up.

Assuming he is selected in the 2023 MLB draft, which is set to take place July 9-11 in Seattle, should he forgo a college playing career altogether and opt to enter the professional ranks out of high school?

"I've had lots of talks with my parents, and we just want to make an informed decision that's best for me," Wolters said. "The end goal is to play in MLB, whatever path I choose. ... Whatever path I take will be the right path."

Wolters actually wouldn't be the first M-S athlete to be picked in an MLB draft directly out of high school.

That honor goes to left-handed pitcher Jeff Martin, a 1992 M-S graduate who was chosen by the Seattle Mariners in that year's 44th round. That wouldn't be possible today, given the draft is down to 20 rounds plus compensatory picks.

"I was kind of surprised I got drafted because I told the scouts early on it was my dream to go to Illinois and play," said Martin, who now works as Michigan State University's senior director of advancement in the Spartans' College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Martin already possessed a scholarship offer from then-coach Itch Jones' Illini, and he spent four seasons with the program.

"Knowing the odds of making a career out of professional sports are pretty difficult and having the education to fall back on was more important for me," Martin said. "For me, it was kind of that dream come true opportunity."

Martin never played baseball professionally after his time at Illinois but expresses zero regrets about his past decision.

He actually played baseball growing up with right-handed pitcher Jason Tatar, a 1992 Rantoul graduate also picked in that year's MLB draft directly out of high school (30th round by the Minnesota Twins). Tatar spent five seasons in the Twins' minor league system.

"That's what he thought was best for him and his family. For me, I really didn't give it a lot of thought," Martin said. "Back then, we literally got a telegram (saying you'd been drafted). To that point, it's kind of like, 'Oh, wow. That's interesting.'

"Hopefully, everybody who makes that difficult decision, whatever their plan is, that's for them and their future. If they have a pathway and it works out for them, obviously the money is tremendous."

Martin said DiFilippo recently invited him to return to Mahomet, where Martin's brother still works as Lincoln Trail Elementary's principal.

"I'm going to try to meet with the kids and talk with them," Martin said. "Hopefully, that's an opportunity to meet Blake. It sounds like he has a bright future."

Continuing to improve himself

Wolters has committed sufficient time this school year to enhancing his baseball stock.

He stepped away from basketball this winter despite earning News-Gazette All-Area first-team recognition in the sport as a junior.

Wolters also puts in plenty of hours alone, with his M-S teammates and coaches and alongside Anthony Silkwood, Parkland's baseball coach and a former Louisville pitcher.

"I wanted to fully dedicate myself and bet on myself with my baseball training," Wolters said. "During the school day, I can work on some mobility stuff during P.E., which is nice. And then after school, I'll lift for an hour and a half and then get my throwing in for the day, which the routine takes about an hour.

"The biggest thing is sticking to the plan and believing in what you're doing, and it's going to work and pay off. ... I wish I was out there playing (basketball) with my buddies. It would be good memories."

Wolters proved at that PBR Illinois throwing session that betting on himself is a prudent gamble.

He estimates there were close to 100 professional scouts in attendance, leading to some nervousness during the drive north with his dad. Wolters said he was the second-to-last pitcher to take the mound that day.

"I had to sit through a lot of other pitchers and wait my time," Wolters said. "Throwing in front of all the scouts maybe added a little bit of juice. It kind of elevated a little bit. It ended up being ... a fun environment to throw a bullpen (session) in."

Wolters didn't fully realize how hard he was throwing until after his session concluded.

Video posted to Twitter by PBR Illinois officials, which also indicates Wolters' slider sat between 81 and 83 mph, shows a small videoboard directly behind Wolters that flashed the speed of each pitch he threw.

"Behind the catcher there was ... a little Plexiglass, so you could see a reflection of the speed just slightly," Wolters said. "I had a sense of it. But right after, a couple guys told me what I was at. ... It was one of those moments where you see all your hard work pay off. It's the most satisfying and fulfilling moment."

DiFilippo believes it's important for outsiders to know Wolters didn't reach this point through luck or based upon his talent alone.

The 17th-year M-S baseball coach points not only to Wolters' weight room and throwing regimens, but also to Wolters altering his diet and working with a physical therapist to improve his recovery time following physical activity.

"He's done all these little things to excel, and he's never forgotten about his grades, his friends," DiFilippo said. "He rolled the dice and is betting on himself. I still remember the conversation he and I had with (Bulldogs boys' basketball coach Ryan Bosch). It was really tough for Blake."

He's the center of attention

Regardless of what Wolters decides to do with his college and/or professional baseball path, he'll definitely be part of the M-S baseball plans this spring.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 27-6 campaign last season that ended with a loss to Chatham Glenwood in a Class 3A sectional championship game. Along with Wolters, the Bulldogs are returning senior and reigning All-Area second-team selection Carter Johnson plus seniors and defending All-Area honorable-mention picks Mateo Casillas and Carter Selk, among a host of other contributors.

"We have big hopes for this season," Wolters said. "Ultimately, the goal is to win a state championship."

Plenty of unfamiliar faces will be along for the ride with DiFilippo's Bulldogs as well.

DiFilippo has been informed to expect MLB scouts attending at least some of the Bulldogs' games this season. It's an experience he's seen at other nearby high schools, most recently with 2021 Charleston product and current Alabama pitcher Ben Hess.

"There are some guys thinking they're going to have a (separate) section to sit because there will be so many (scouts)," DiFilippo said. "We talk about all the time, 'You never know who's watching.' ... You just go play the game and have fun playing it. You don't put extra pressure on yourself to do anything special."

The college recruiting landscape has changed significantly from when Martin was scouted by Illinois. Still, Martin remembers receiving some unique attention as a Bulldog.

"These kids at a level like Blake are much more used to that attention and things like that," Martin said. "Based upon the information I've heard about Blake, and if he's bringing upper 90s like that, I'd be shocked if he's not a fairly high-round draft pick."

DiFilippo said that Brooks Coetzee, a 2018 M-S graduate and current fifth-year Notre Dame baseball player, also garnered a bit of professional intrigue before leaving high school.

But Wolters' case, DiFilippo added, is different.

"There was a couple of phone calls ... but never direct phone calls five times a day," DiFilippo said. "I look at my voicemail and there's five messages, and I know what they're all about before I look at them."

Wolters continually reminds himself to stay grounded amid enhanced excitement about his baseball future.

Having gone through his own version of this reality, plus living a few decades since, Martin can offer extra advice.

"There's going to be ups and downs in life, and you're never as good as anybody brings you up to be and you're never as bad as when anybody tries to talk down on you," Martin said. "(Baseball) can be very rewarding financially, but ... what it allowed in my actual career and life perspective was the most valuable of my experiences through sports, and the doors they opened."